Tortallan xmas!
by Scarletmage
Summary: tortall has undergone religious chgane, and now everyone's having xmas for the first time! i went on a high when i wrote this, so please be nice. underlying aj themes, but not severe. please enjoy!


A/N: ok, I wrote this on an EXTREME HIGH b/c of x-mas! Please excuse thayet, she's gone a little tropo, and thanx 2 every1 who as reviewed all my previous fics! Alanna and jon are married, Buri and Raoul are together but she was away when it was organised.  
  
~~~~~~~~Tortallan x-mas!! (aka Thayet goes on a high)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"Ok, is everybody ready?" Thayet had taken this way too far, Alanna thought as the Saren princess went around, rearranging the decorations, everyone's costumes and Raoul's fake beard. They all had some kind of glitter on their faces and hair, each dressed elaborately in red and green velvet. A red and white cap with a white ball on the end donned all seven adult's heads. "Great! Now, we all know what's happening, right? Great!" she exclaimed at the general nod. "This is going to be so much fun!" what was fun about it? slipped Alanna's mind for the moment as she stared desperately at the door that led to her bed, her nice, warm, comfortable bed. Jon shifted his stance from foot to foot and they met each other's eyes, a silent joke and simultaneous question passing through them. How had they let it come to this?  
It had all stated on December the 20th. Religion had been changed in the past year, Mithros' priests declaring that the night of midwinter in which everyone gave presents to each other be called "Christmas", why nobody could guess but it was official and everyone had to celebrate it. Thayet had rejoiced while others had grumbled at the absurdity of it: staying up till midnight, chopping down a tree and putting it in the family room was a pain. Decorating the place with red and green, putting the presents for the children once they were asleep were the easy and enjoyable parts, then waking up the next morning just before dawn as their babies jumped up and down screaming at them to see what they got!!! It was, once Alanna thought about it, almost exactly like midwinter and the 7 days of feasting- just that now red, old, green, silver and white were the colors and everyone went around in, surprisingly, better moods. Thayet had thought it would be a great idea to have a whole 'friends-family' party on Christmas morning, to decorate everything and she had organized absolutely everything that could be done. Even Lord Michael of Raider's Gorge, her husband, had agreed that his wife indeed had gone a bit over the top this Christmas. Alanna and Jon had agreed though, after some indiscreet preasure form the children and secretly wishing they had had something like that done for Christmas when they were young.   
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
Alanna's dress jingled as she quietly creeped into Roald's room well before dawn that morning. Thayet said bells are a sign of Christmas but they were damn loud when one was trying to be quiet. She woke Roald and Tempestt, and Jon woke Ali, Lianne, Jasson and Liam. Their children jumped up and nearly bowled both of them over as they charged for the dining room. "Ma! Ma! Look what Santa got me!!!" Roald and Temp were dashing around without dignity, something the eldest royal children were rarely seen doing anymore, with Roald to be married and Tempestt surveying suitors. Ali and Lianne were trying to follow them, constantly falling flat on their faces due to trips over boxes of presents. Jasson and Liam were 'dueling' each other with fake weapons. Laughing lioness went to King, taking a little bundle of blankets from his arms. Jon leaned in and kissed her cheek. "You know, my sweet, I think this was one of Thayet's more brilliant ideas, don't you?" Alanna's eyes answered, twinkling with delight as her 6 eldest danced and darted around the room as the families more recent edition demanded to be both fed and played with, while being still half asleep. Settling down in the comfy armchair Thayet met Alanna's eyes, directing them towards Kalasin. The beautiful girl was watching Roald and Temp with disdain and Shinkokami, next to her, was doubled over with laughter as Roald tried to get her to join the dance circle. No two women could be so alike, yet so different. Shinko finally joined in and, pulling Kalasin with her, everyone (except Jessie) less than 30 years old was now dancing around the room. The adults exchanged gifts in a slightly more mature manner but each still had their fun, though Raoul stayed well away from grog, Gary helping himself to sufficient amounts to satisfy both Raoul and himself. Daine and Numair were there two, Daine's bouncy skirt getting in the way whenever Numair wanted to kiss her, animals were occupying every available floor space. Alanna looked into the sapphire eyes of her baby, the child consequence of spending many a years away from Jonathan and being, after finally forgiving him, a bit too…hasty and …passionate when they finally had nothing causing them to disagree.  
  
"Hey, Lady knight!" Raoul called over from the other side of the room. He was talking to some one at the door. Walking over to the entrance Alanna gave Jessie to Jon and dusted off her bouncy green velvet skirts with gold bells hanging off the hems. "What is it, Raoul?" Buri was standing there, wearing simple breeches and a shirt. "Buri needs a dress."  
"Oh, no, I'm not getting trapped in one of those!"  
"Yes, you are." Using the strength and giant sized body he was blessed with Raoul picked Buri up and carried her over to Thayet, who had an extra dress in Alanna's (and therefore Buri's) size. "I knew Alanna would probably damage hers somehow." She explained that got her dirty looks from the Queen. "Put this on."  
So Buri was adorned in the glitter, hair decorations and costume that all women were wearing and stood amazed as Alanna helped Thayet. "I can't believe you, Alanna. One moment we think we know you and you do something totally out of the ordinary."  
"What do you mean?" Alanna really wasn't in the mood for analysis.  
"Look at you! Glossy curls all around your face with red and green glitter in them all, stars and sequins stuck around your eyes, the red lip rouge, the bouncy skirts and tight bodice, the jewelry, it's all not usual!" Buri was right. Alanna's hair was perfectly arranged like a noble lady's, her skirts very flattering, she looked truly beautiful, glistening both because of the joy of the occasion and due to Thayet's hair and skin glitter gel. The Champion just laughed. "Do you really think I look that good?"  
"Ten times better." Jon had been standing behind them the whole time. Alanna whirled around from shock and glared at him when she saw the mischievous glimmer in his eyes. "Jon does too." Buri added. Jon's hair had silver glitter in it, perfectly arranged so that it was hanging in his face to look good but not in the way of his vision. He was adorned with silver, blue and green glitter and sequins and looked, just like them all, a fairy King. Alanna turned a critical eye towards him. "I think you're right." Jon grinned, put the baby down and took his lioness into his arm for a long and passionate kiss. "Only we have parents like that." Tempestt commented as everyone stopped and stared longingly at the royal couple kissing, thinking of their past and present loves. But Liam hit Raoul in the red-velvet-clad leg and the company burst out into talk and chatter once more.  
It was a wondrous Christmas, and they were to have many more to come. Everyone had fun and the time was looked forward to a remembered by all.  
  
A/N: so what do you think?? I know it's kinda sappy, but I was in a very weird mood when I wrote this, so please be nice!! BTW Alanna and Jon's kids(7): Roald; Tempestt; Alianne; Lianne; liam; Jasson; Jessica (jessie). 


End file.
